Wigwag signal.



M. s. MOR SE. )WIGWAG sw'rm. v 1 APPLICATION nup um. um 1,228,581, Patented June 5,1917.

2 suns-shin l.

M. S. MORSE.

WIGWAG SIGNAL.

APPLICATION HLED AY. I916 1,228,581. Patented June 5, 1917.

2 suns-4mm 2.

' To all whom my concern:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARK S. HORSE, 0! LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO RAILWAY SPECIALTIES COMPANY, 0] LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

" wrewaesmnan Be it known thatI' MARK S. MORSE, a citizen of the United tates, residing at Los Angeles .in the county of Los Angeles and State oi California have invented a new and useful Wigwag signal, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relatesto electrically operated. signal devices having an oscillating semaphore. V y 1 An object of this invention is to produce a device of this character of maximum simplicity and dependability.

- Another object isthe production of a device of this character using a minimum amount of electric current in its operation. Another .object is to produce a device of this character that is inexpensive to manufacture.

Another object is to minimize sparking at the contacts,so that oxidation and wear thereof will be minimized. -Other objects and advantages may appear I in the subjoined detail description.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the moved, the semaphore being omitted and the semaphore arms being shown in cross seetion.

Fig. 3-is an enlarged plan view of the switch device shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view of Fig. 3 from the left thereof.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged elevation partly in section on line indicated by :vw, Fig. 2,

looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 6 is a diagram of electrical connections for the device shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

There is provided a case 1 of any suitable construction having bearings 2 to journal an armature shaft 3, said Shaft projecting beyondthe sides of the case and provide on its projecting ends with semaphore arms 4 carrying a semaphore 5 of any suitable form. The semaphore 5 ma be provided with an electric lamp 6, as s own.

Mounted on the armature shaft 3 is an armature 7 designed .to be oscillated or Specification 0! Letters Patent.

swung from side to side by alternate energization of electro-magnets 8, 9, in the instance shown there being two magnets 8 on one side and two magnets 9 on the opposite side. The lower ends of the semaphore arms 4 may be provided with counterbalance wei hts 10.

ounted on and insulated from the'shaft 3-.are segmental contacts 11, 12 engaged by brushes 13, 14 respectively mounted in brush holders 15 which are fastened by screws'16 or equivalent to a bracket 17 formed of suitable electrical insulating material, the insulation for the contacts being indicated at 17'.

Attached to'th' segmental contact 11 is an arm'18 having at its outer end a flexible or resilient blade in the form of a flat spring 19 that is provided at its free end with a diamond-shaped contact 20 adapted to swing up and downand tending to swing ina vertical plane when the shaft is rocked Mounted on the" insulation bracket '17 are 1 a pair of spaced apart contacts 21, 22'hav- ,ing overlapping ends23, said ends being bent at an angle toward one another into the r path of travelof the contact 20 so as to'dea side elevation of a device fleet said contact to one side when said contact is moving upward and so as to deflect said contact to the other side when said contact is moving downward. The contacts 21, 22 are electrically insulated from each other by the insulation bracketl'fand there is an air gap 24 between said contacts.

Mounted on the bracket 17 are two guards, said guards comprising vertically arranged portions 25 and outwardly deflectedsends 26. The guard portions 25'are parallel and spaced apart from the contacts 21,122 respectively and are offset laterally from the vertical plane in whichthe contact 20 tends to move a distance corresponding to half the thickness of said contact 20.

It is clear that when the contact 20 is caused to move along the contact 21 or 22 as the case may be. sufficiently far to slip off of the contact 21 or 22 said contact 20 will engage the vertical portion 25 of one or the other of the guards as indicated by dotted lines a, b,-'Fig. 4, said guards tending to stop vibration of the spring 19 and thus minimiz ing crystallizing efiect on said spring that tend to be caused. by vibration, as is well understood.

As clearly shown in ig. 6 the'magnets 8 are connected togetherfby a connection 27 i as gagement with the contact 22.

and the magnets 9 are connected together by a connection 28. One of the magnets '8 is connected by a connection 29 and binding post 30 to the contact 21 and the other magnet 8 is connected by a connector 31 and binding post 32 to the brush holder of the brush 14. One of the electro-magnets 9 is connected by a connector 33 and binding post 34 to the contact 22 and the other electro-magnetl 9 is connected by a connector 35 to the connection 31.

The shaft 3 and semaphore arms 4 are, hollow and the lamp 6 is connected by a connection 37 and binding post 38 to the segmental contact 12 and is connected by aconnection 39 and binding post 40 to the; segmental contact 11, said connections passing through'said shaft and, through one of the semaphore arms. The brush holder of the brush 14 is connected by a binding post 41 and electrical connection .42 to any suitable switch or make and break device 43,

'iwe'll understood inthe art and therefore unnecessary to describe in detail herein, said make and break device being of the character employed connection with electric signaling devices set into' operation by a train passing over a prescribed section of track as is well understood.

The brush holder of the brush 13 is connected by 'a binding post 44 and connection 45 to one terminal of a'battery 46 or 'other suitable source of electric current, the

other terminal of said battery being connected by a connection 47 to, the switch 43. A connection 48 and screw 49 connect the binding po'st 40'to the arm 18. g

The armature 7 and contacts 20, 21 are relatively positioned so that the contact 20 is in engagement with either the contact 21 or 22 when the armature is in vertical position midway between the two sets of magnets 8, 9. v

In. practice, assuming, for example, that the contact 20 is in engagement with the contact 21 as in Figs. 4 and 6 the circuit will be closed between the connections 35; 47 by any'suitable means, not shown, 'thus energizing the magnets 8 to turnthe shaft counter clockwise in Fig. 1 to move the contact 20 in the direction of the arrow 0, Fig. 4'. The contact 20 thus moved slips from the contact 21 thus momentarily breaking the circuit and allowing the 'countenweights 10 to return the armature 7 toward the ver tical position, thus causing clockwise rotation of the armature shaft to move the contact 20 downward between the contact 21 and the adjacent guard portion 25 in the direction .of the arrows d, Fig. 4, and into en- 'lhis enerizes. the magnets 9 to turn the shaft yet artlier in the clockwise direction to cause the contact 20 to slip from the contact 22, thus again momentarily breakingthe circuit contact 20 is caused togalternately engage.

the contacts 21, 22 by alternate energizatrons of the ma ets 8, 9 and that the con tacts 21, 22 de ect the contact 20 from a.

straight line first to one side and then the other, so as to produce suflicient tension in: the spring 19 to hold the contact 20 in good electric 'contactwith the contacts 21, 22. It is noted that the diamond shape of the contact 20 enables said contact to break the circult with minimum sparking between it and the contacts 21, 22, for inleaving said contacts 21, 22-to break the circuits established by engagement of the.contact '20 with the contacts 21, 22 it is clear that the knife edges formed, at the juncture of the converging sides of the contact 20 will act the same as the contact blade of the well known knifeblade switch,

I claim:

1. In combination, a sprin blade, a contacton said blade, andspace a art circuitcloslng contacts having their a jacent ends inthe path of travel of the spring blade contact so as to'defiect the spring blade first to one side and then to the other as the blade oscillates. I i 4 2. In combination, a. spring blade, a contact on-said blade, spaced apart contacts having their adjacent ends in the path of travel of the sprin blade contact sons to deflect the spring bfiide first to one side and then the other as the blade oscillates, and means to stop vibration of the spring blade during the movementof the blade contact from oneto'the other of the spaced apart contacts.

3. In combination,-a; shaft, a spring blade mounted to turn with said shaft, a contact on said blade, and a pair of spaced apart circuit-closing contacts having overlapping ends'bent at angles toward oneanother and ada .ted to be alternatively engaged b the bla e contact when saidshaft is osc' ated.

re iend 1 overlapping ends bent at angles toward one another, and a contact on said spring blade operative by turning of the shaft in one direction to engage one of the stationary contacts and operative by turning of the shaft in the opposite direction to engage the other stationary contact.

6. In combination, a shaft, 3, spring blade mounted to turn with 'said shaft, stationary spaced apart contacts arranged in lanes transversely to the axis of said-sha and having ends bent inward at angles toward one another, and a diamond shaped contact on the blade operative by oscillation of the shaft to alternatively engage the inwardly bent ends of the stationary contacts.

7 In combination, a shaft, a spring blade mounted to turn with said shaft and tending to move in a straight path when the shaft is oscillated, a contact on said spring blade, and stationary circuit-closing contacts arranged on opposite sides of said straight path to alternatively engage the blade contact and deflect said blade contact first to one side and then the other side of said straight path when the shaft oscillates.

S. In combination, a shaft, a spring blade mounted to turn with said shaft, a contact on said blade, stationary contacts adapted to deflect the blade contact out of a straight path during a part of the movement of the blade contact, and means to engage the blade contact when said blade contact .is disengaged for the stationary contacts to stop vibration of said spring blade.

9. In combination, three circuit-closin contacts, one of said contacts being mounted on a spring blade, and the other two contacts being -spaced apart and provided with ends bent at an an le toward one another, and means to produce relative oscillatory movement between the contact on the spring blade and the other contacts so as to bring" about alternate engagement of saidother contacts with the contact on the spring.

Si ed at Los Angeles, California, this V lth ay of May, 1916.

' MARK S. MORSE.

Witnesses:

GEORGE H. Hume, Roam W. Jnmson. 

